From: Dale Jorgenson [mailto:djorgenson@harvard.edu]A simple e-mail from an obscure citizen does what a Congressman and a radio host profiting from a book and thousands of lemming Fairtaxers wouldn't do...
Sent: Wednesday, August 24, 2005 10:28 AM
To: Rob xxx
Re: Fair Tax- Is your 1995-6 Testimony being misrepresented by Boortz/Linder book?August 24
Dear Rob,
A more reasonable interpretation of my 1996 testimony is that workers would keep that after-tax pay; producers' prices would fall, but retail prices would be increased by the national retail sales tax. Any gains by workers and investors would be the result of increase economic efficiency.
[He then went on to recommend his book called LIFTING THE BURDEN, about another tax reform plan he calls Efficient Taxation]
Best,
DaleI wanted to be perfectly clear what he was saying, so I asked him to clarify his email:
At 06:41 PM 8/24/2005 -0400, you wrote:
Dr. Jorgenson,Excuse me for my lack of understanding of your answer, when you say "workers would keep that after-tax pay" are you saying that if they are making $1000 a week now, and paying $200 payroll+income taxes now, that under the FairTax you were assuming that workers would get paid $800 and keep all of that? Or are you saying that you meant they would make $1000 under the FairTax?
Regards,
Rob xxx Dr Jorgenson responded:August 24
Dear Rob,
I am saying that the worker would continue to receive the after-tax amount of $800. Prices received by producers would decline to cover the cost of after-tax wages to workers and after-tax dividends and interest to investors. However, taxes paid at the retail level would include the Fair Tax.
Best,
Dale
The book and the years of lying about 20%+ price reductions AND 100% paychecks while using Jorgenson's name for the source is nothing less than fraud....
You make up lies and then scream "FairTax lies". You're the fraud!!
...quote out of context to misrepresent.
You do that quite well.
Looks like we have another koolaid drinker on our hands.
Excellent. I'm always impressed by thorough research nomatter where it may lead. If this was yours, my hat is off to you, sir.
I must say that if the FairTax goes into effect, that I fully intend to pay my valuable employees, the ones that would be hell to replace, EVERYTHING they're getting now, including what's withheld from them for the IRS AND FICA, INCLUDING "the employer's matching contribution [cough, cough]".
I am not married to the FairTax, but it's the best thing I've seen so far, especially after the disastrous attempt to impose a "flat" tax in 1986. As a former victim, not only of guilty-until-proven-innocent IRS kangaroo courts, but of screaming invective from out-of-control IRS employees, that I am eager for anything that will put an end to the IRS once and for all. I hope you can understand my motivation. But, if you can't, so be it.